Reinventing and Reinvigorating the Artistic LifeNew work by Charles Arnoldi at Charlotte Jackson Fine Art

In the exhibit “Still Working” at Charlotte Jackson Fine Art, which opens on November 3, Arnoldi showcases paintings that Charlotte Jackson picked out from his southern California studio, some of which have never been shown outside his studio.

Arnoldi is particularly excited about his new series of “Machu Picchu” paintings that were inspired by shapes and rock formations at this 15th century Incan citadel. Three months ago Arnoldi was part of a six-day walking trek to Machu Picchu.

“We hiked from lodge to lodge, sometimes at an altitude of more than 15,000 feet,” Arnoldi explains. “I’ve completed around 20 large paintings since the trip and plan to make more in the future.”

The show also includes several paintings from Arnoldi’s “String Theory” series that feature continuous looping lines created by movements from the wrist, elbow and shoulder.

Born in Ohio in 1946, Arnoldi moved to southern California in 1965 and tried to fit into academia. He spent two years at Ventura Junior College but only two weeks at the Art Center of Los Angeles. The decision was made to immerse himself in the art world outside of an academic environment.

In addition to having work featured in many solo gallery shows through the years, Arnoldi has participated in group exhibitions at some of the country’s finest art institutions including the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Brooklyn Museum and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles.

During his career Arnoldi has been an avid experimenter, creating twig paintings, sculpting with metal, working with large pieces of plywood and focusing on black and white paintings on canvas that feature free-flowing organic shapes.

“I always feel that, once I get a body of work established, I should move on to something else,” he adds.